Manchester United have endured a tough run of fixtures that saw them tested against the likes of Chelsea, Juventus, Everton, Bournemouth and a return trip to Turin – and in the defiance of their critics they’ve lost just once during that stretch.
However, now the Red Devils face the toughest challenge of their season yet as they travel to the Etihad for the Manchester derby on matchday 12 of the Premier League.
Here is how Jose Mourinho may approach the game to get something from it.
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HIT ON THE COUNTER
Pressing Manchester City and attacking from the word go is inconsistent with Mourinho’s philosophy and frankly, it wouldn’t do United any good either.
United will look to soak the pressure in the first half with wingers dropping deep and maintaining compact and narrow lines in defence.
Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford would be the perfect picks to hit City on the counter, with their pace causing trouble to City’s high line of defence and Paul Pogba a dangerous distributor.
Alexis Sanchez, likely the lone man upfront, will be allowed some freedom as he looks to link up with the wingers and ease the transition before landing the final blow.
MAN-MARKING DAVID SILVA
David Silva has nullified Kevin De Bruyne’s absence by putting together a string of match-winning performances and the Spaniard will look to keep that up on Sunday.
Blocking the creative outlet at the expense of freeing up some space should be one route that will take Mourinho to a coveted derby win. Man-marking David Silva could hamper City’s most influential player in and attack and hence affect most of the passages of play that run through the middle.
Ander Herrera has displayed his man-marking abilities in the past after he famously suffocated Eden Hazard in United’s 2-0 win at Old Trafford last season. Mourinho might turn to the Spaniard on Sunday, though trying to shackle one man from City’s array of talent could be asking for trouble.
